UNRIC Library Newsletter - November 2009

UN in General

2010 - The International Year of Biodiversity
English, French & Spanish:http://www.cbd.int/2010/
2010 is the International Year of Biodiversity. It is an opportunity for the world to recognise the importance of biodiversity for all life on Earth, to reflect on our achievements to safeguard biodiversity and focus on the urgency of our challenge for the future. Now is the time to act. In these pages, you'll find information on biodiversity, about celebrations of the International Year of Biodiversity in your country and around the world, and about how we can all make a difference.

“UN Member States on the Record”
http://www.un.org/memberstatesontherecord
The Dag Hammarskjöld Library launched on 13 November 2009 “UN Member States on the Record”, a new research tool which will dramatically facilitate research on the work and actions of each Member State, and make information more accessible and easy to find. Based on frequently asked questions, the Library developed this tool to highlight the work and actions of each individual Member State and to consolidate information scattered in multiple databases to one user-friendly resource. This opens the rich primary research resource of United Nations documents to anyone who can browse the web -- delegates, Model UN participants, or interested citizens from around the world. Information available for each Member State includes the key documents related to its membership in the United Nations, statements made before the principal organs, draft resolutions sponsored, periodic reports submitted on human rights conventions, and more. Running behind this new research tool are preset searches on multiple databases maintained by the Dag Hammarskjöld Library. A single click links people to the most accurate, up-to-date results, and yet also includes extensive historic coverage. Full text documents are linked in all official languages of the United Nations. (Press Release PI/1918, 12 November 2009)

UNBISnet voting record database
http://unbisnet.un.org/
The DHL Reference Team has been working on a project to do a retrospective completion of the UNBISnet voting record database. Voting records are now available back to the 10th session (1955).

The Energy Access Situation in Developing Countries: A Review Focusing on the Least Developed Countries and Sub-Saharan Africa (UNDP/WHO)
http://content.undp.org/go/newsroom/publications/environment-energy/undp-who-report-on-energy-access-in-developing-countries-review-of-ldcs---ssas.en
As world leaders enter into final negotiations ahead of the Copenhagen climate talks, almost a quarter of the global population —1.5 billion people— lives without electricity, 80 percent of them in the least developed countries (LDCs) of South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. That’s according to figures from a new UN report that shines a light on the plight of the three billion people without access to modern energy services. The report was produced in partnership by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Health Organization (WHO), with support from the International Energy Agency (IEA).

Many countries in UNECE region has been negatively affected by "severe impacts from extreme events and disasters".

Transboundary nature of water resources in the region presents shared risks and challenges thus solutions in adaptation need to be coordinated between all states in a transboundary basin.

The Guidance provides step-by-step advice for development of adaptation strategies, which would support implementation by countries of the Water Convention and its Protocol on Water and Health in the context of climate change.

The Way Forward: Researching the Environment and Migration Nexus (UNU-EHS)
http://www.ehs.unu.edu/file.php?id=718
The United Nations University Institute for Environment and Human Security (UNU-EHS) has released the 2nd issue of the Research Brief Series dealing with possible future migration flows triggered by climate change. The issue is based on the outcomes of the second Expert Workshop on Climate Change, Environment, and Migration that took place in Munich, Germany, in July 2009.

Economic & Social Development

Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards productive intercommunication for knowledge (UNDP)
http://204.200.211.31/contents/file/AKR09_Full_English/AKR09_Full_English.pdf
Arab societies need nurturing institutions and supportive policies to experience a significant boost in knowledge production and creation. The report maintains that political, institutional, cultural and intellectual reforms, as well as reform of the media and information technologies are vital if Arab societies are to bridge the knowledge gap.

Beijing + 15 Regional Review Meeting (UNECE)
http://www.unece.org/gender/Beijing15.html
Fifteen years after the 4th World Conference on Women took place in Beijing in 1995 the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is reviewing the situation of women from a regional perspective in preparation for the global fifteen-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action in March 2010. The Beijing + 15 Regional Review Meeting on "New challenges and opportunities for Gender Equality in the ECE Region: Key Issues and Policy Responses" will be held in Geneva on 2-3 November 2009.

Enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners, in particular the private sector: Report of the Secretary-General (A/64/337)
English, French & Spanish:http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=A/64/337
Underscoring the need for sustainable business practices and broader private sector engagement in light of global challenges, the UN Secretary-General’s report on Enhanced cooperation between the United Nations and all relevant partners, in particular the private sector (A/64/337) was presented to UN General Assembly’s Second Committee on 5 November 2009.

Planning Sustainable Cities: Global Report on Human Settlements 2009 (UN-HABITAT)
Report:http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/GRHS_2009Brief.pdf
Abridged version:http://www.unhabitat.org/downloads/docs/GRHS2009Abridged.pdf
English press kit:http://www.unhabitat.org/content.asp?cid=7263&catid=7&typeid=46&subMenuId=0
Spanish press kit:http://www.unhabitat.org/documents/GRHS09/K0952834s.pdf
Planning Sustainable Cities reviews recent urban planning practices and approaches, discusses constraints and conflicts therein, and identifies innovative approaches that are more responsive to current challenges of urbanization. It notes that traditional approaches to urban planning (particularly in developing countries) have largely failed to promote equitable, efficient and sustainable human settlements and to address twenty-first century challenges, including rapid urbanization, shrinking cities and ageing, climate change and related disasters, urban sprawl and unplanned peri-urbanization, as well as urbanization of poverty and informality. It concludes that new approaches to planning can only be meaningful, and have a greater chance of succeeding, if they effectively address all of these challenges, are participatory and inclusive, as well as linked to contextual socio-political processes.

World Survey on the Role of Women in Development 2009Report:http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/public/WorldSurvey2009.pdf Expert papers:http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/ws2009/#expert1
A substantial reordering of women’s place in the economic world is long overdue and is made more urgent in the context of the current financial and economic crisis, according to the “World Survey on the Role of Women in Development”, published every five years by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The 2009 Survey, dedicated to the theme of “women’s control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance”, makes the argument that increasing women’s access to resources exerts strong multiplier effects on a range of development goals, including poverty reduction, child welfare and economic growth.

Peace and Security

Concept paper: Security Council open debate on the protection of civilians in armed conflict (S/2009/567)
English, French & Spanish:http://www.un.org/Docs/journal/asp/ws.asp?m=S/2009/567
The President of the Security Council for the month of November, Austria has issued a concept paper (S/2009/567) for an open debate of the Security Council on the theme “Protection of civilians in armed conflict”, hold on 11 November 2009.

Human Rights

30th Anniversary of CEDAW
http://www.unifem.org/cedaw30/
The United Nations Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANWGE) has launched a new website to celebrate the 30th Anniversary of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Durban Review Conference Report (A/CONF.211/8)
English, French & Spanish:http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/CONF.211/8
The Report of the Durban Review Conference is now available (A/CONF.211/8). The conference was held in Geneva from 20-24 April 2009. Included in the report is the outcome document and the resolution adopted by the review conference.

Right to Food: Methodological Toolbox (FAO)
http://www.fao.org/righttofood/publi_02_en.htm
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has published a "methodological toolbox" on the right to food, designed to provide countries, institutions civil society and other stakeholders with a series of effective instruments they can use to assert the right to adequate food as a basic human right.

Humanitarian Affairs

Israeli Settler Violence and the Evacuation of Outposts (OCHA-oPt)
http://www.ochaopt.org/documents/ocha_opt_settler_violence_fact_sheet_2009_11_15_english.pdf
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs office in the occupied Palestinian territory (OCHA-oPt) has released this new report that examines some of the issues associated with Israeli removal of unauthorized settlers in the West Bank, including violence by settlers directed at Palestinians and their property.

International Law

The United Nations Rule of Law Website and Document Repository
http://www.unrol.org/
The United Nations Rule of Law Website is a promotional and educational tool for practitioners and the general public. It seeks to inform users about the UN’s work in the field of rule of law, and its efforts to coordinate and strengthen system-wide approaches in this field. It is the central UN rule of law web-based resource, serving as a gateway to the rest of the UN’s related sites, and making information more widely accessible about UN rule of law issues and activities, and the various tools, documents and materials on the subject. The website is also an avenue for users to access other web resources on or related to rule of law, developed by the UN or external organizations.

Social Media

The Brussels based United Nations Regional Information Centre for Western Europe - UNRIC provides information on UN activities to the countries of the region. It also provides liaison with institutions of the European Union in the field of information. Its outreach activities extend to all segments of society and joint campaigns, projects and events are organized with partners including the EU, governments, the media, NGOs, schools and local authorities.